Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Bank of Russia to Begin Pilot Testing Digital Ruble Transactions with 13 Banks

Thirteen banks in Russia, excluding Sberbank and Tinkoff, will participate in a pilot testing program for the digital ruble, a central bank digital currency approved by President Vladimir Putin in July. The testing will involve real-world transactions at 30 points of sale in 11 Russian cities. The pilot program aims to ensure that the infrastructure surrounding the CBDC is functioning and user-friendly before rolling it out for retail and business use.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Türkiye proposes to align crypto legislation with international standards

    Turkey's ruling party submitted a draft encryption bill to parliament on May 16. The bill focuses on licensing and registration of encryption service providers and aligning with international standards.The draft law aims to update existing legislation to comprehensively regulate the emerging cryptocurrency market. The key areas of focus for the bill include consumer protection, platform transparency, and compliance with financial regulations. The proposed legislation aims to regulate cryptocurrency trading platforms and other service providers in the industry, requiring them to obtain a license from the Capital Markets Board of Turkey.
  • US Secret Service seizes domain used to run cryptocurrency scam

    On May 17th, the US Secret Service seized a domain used for cryptocurrency trust fraud in a "pig-killing plate" scam. In the "pig-killing plate" scam, scammers contact victims through various means, including dating apps, social media websites, and even random text messages disguised as wrong numbers.
  • French securities regulator issues new warning to Bybit

    The French securities regulator has issued a new warning to the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, urging customers to make arrangements for the possibility that the platform may suddenly stop providing services to French customers. The Financial Markets Authority (AMF) stated in a notice on Thursday that the exchange is not registered as a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP), and therefore is providing services illegally in France. Bybit has been blacklisted by the AMF since May 20, 2022 for illegal operations.
  • Swiss Federal Council Plans to Implement Crypto Asset Reporting Framework to Improve Tax Transparency

    The Swiss Federal Council (consisting of seven members jointly leading the Swiss government) plans to implement a Cryptocurrency Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) to increase tax transparency.On the 15th, the Federal Council issued a consultation document to investigate public opinion on joining the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) to combat tax evasion and avoidance in cooperation with international tax authorities. Currently, Switzerland's joining of AEOI is scheduled for January 1, 2026. It is reported that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) established AEOI and other initiatives for the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, which later expanded to include other countries.Switzerland previously adopted the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) of the OECD in 2014, but did not include CARF regulating cryptocurrency assets and their providers.
  • US lawmaker: SEC should repeal crypto accounting policy before Senate vote

    US legislator Wiley Nickel wrote a letter to Gary Gensler, Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on May 15th, stating that the SEC should repeal the cryptocurrency accounting policy (SAB 121) before the Senate vote. Protecting investors is the mission of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, but SAB 121 does the opposite by preventing heavily regulated US banks from mass custody of digital assets. In addition, Wiley Nickel criticized the SEC for bypassing the rule-making process when issuing SAB 121, believing that the purpose of the cryptocurrency accounting policy is to clarify existing policies, not to create new ones.
  • Chinese Police Dismantle $1.9B Smuggling Ring Using USDT Stablecoin

    Chinese police have dismantled a large-scale underground banking scheme involved in smuggling operations valued at $1.9 billion. The illicit network used Tether's stablecoin USDT to facilitate the smuggling of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and the purchase of prohibited goods overseas. The crackdown coincides with China's nationwide observance of "May 15" Publicity Day for Combating and Preventing Economic Crimes. Police have arrested 193 suspects nationwide, including ring leaders Lin, Weng, Chen, and other unnamed individuals.
  • Philippines central bank approves peso stablecoin pilot

    The Philippines central bank has authorized Coins.ph to initiate a pilot program for a new Philippine Peso-backed stablecoin, PHPC, under its Regulatory Sandbox Framework. This pilot aims to integrate PHPC into significant remittance channels to enhance the efficiency of transactions within the substantial Philippine remittance market. Coins.ph plans to launch the stablecoin by early June, following comprehensive real-world application testing to potentially achieve full regulatory approval.
  • ECB Governing Council: We are likely to start cutting interest rates in June

    ECB committee member Villeroy stated that it is very likely that we will begin cutting interest rates in June.
  • Russia to impose cryptocurrency restrictions, exempting miners and central bank projects

    Russia will implement cryptocurrency restrictions, exempting miners and central bank projects. Starting from September 1st, Russia will impose strict restrictions on the circulation of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, only allowing the issuance of digital financial assets within its jurisdiction. Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Financial Market Committee of the State Duma, led this initiative. This is part of a wider government effort to control the cryptocurrency ecosystem in the face of escalating geopolitical tensions. Aksakov stated that the upcoming legislation aims to restrict non-Russian cryptocurrency transactions to strengthen the dominance of the ruble. Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that Russian entities have used cryptocurrencies, particularly Tether's USDT, to purchase key components for military technology.
  • Russia’s Central Bank and Rosfinmonitoring unveil pilot of fiat-to-crypto tracking system

    According to reports, since 2023, Russia has been trying to track cryptocurrency transactions and their sources. The Russian Central Bank and the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) revealed that there is currently a system that allows private banks to track the connection between fiat-based transactions and cryptocurrency business.